• Sweden edition

Parents reeling after maternity ward mayhem

Published: 7 Dec 11 10:40 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/37788/20111207/

Chaos erupted among newborn babies at a Gothenburg maternity ward on Tuesday when police attempted to arrest a wanted criminal visiting a new addition to the family.

”I am still shaking inside. I have never been so scared in my entire life,” new mother Isabelle Hermansson told local paper Göteborgsposten (GP).

The hullabaloo first began when two police officers in civilian clothing apprehended the man in a narrow corridor in the visitors' entrance to the Östra Hospital in Gothenburg. According to the paper, he was wanted for a robbery in another country.

The man resisted the arrest and was joined by several family members who tried to prevent police from apprehending the man.

Soon at least ten people were involved in the scrap. According to witness reports at least four or five newborn babies, along with several other children, were in the corridor at the time of the fight.

Terrified new parents fled into side corridors with their babies.

Hermansson was in the corridor with newborn daughter Lova, when the fight erupted.

”There was nowhere I could go with my child and the atmosphere felt as if they would pull out guns any minute. It looked like a gang fight,” she said to GP.

However, the officers soon received backup and four people were arrested. Three of the man's relatives are now also under suspicion for violence against police officers and attempting to aid the escape of a criminal.

However, the incident has left the parents shaken and surprised at the police officers' conduct.

“Maybe it would have been more appropriate to arrest this person outside of the hospital and not in the corridor. I don't get what the officers were thinking. It doesn't seem to have been a very well planned arrest,” one father said.

TT/Rebecca Martin (news@thelocal.se)

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11:08 December 7, 2011 by bourgeoisieboheme
"Maybe it would have been more appropriate to arrest this person outside of the hospital and not in the corridor."

Maybe the police had no choice, who knows, I'm just glad they got the guy and glad the family got arrested for attacking the police also.
11:14 December 7, 2011 by Douglas Garner
I suspect it was a matter of opportunity and time management. It would have taken extra hours to wait for him outside, or down the corridor... he might have taken the wife and baby home in the car... so what do you do with the family when you pull them over?

It does seem a bit cold hearted and thoughless, to all in attendence, expecially when you consider that he was wanted for an apparently non-violent crime outside of Sweden.
11:45 December 7, 2011 by DAVID T
Hopefully they will send these criminals back to where they came from
12:05 December 7, 2011 by Svenny Brogarth
You cant arresst the family for protecting their own. If the police were plained clothed as it states then it could have just looked like 2 random dudes pouncing on a member of the family. The family may not know about the mans past etc...
14:36 December 7, 2011 by spo10
Since the police officers were in civilian clothes anyway, they couldn't have waited for him to go in an less populated/busy area in the hospital. Or waited for him outside the door and handcuff him from there. Thankfully no babies/mothers were injured.
14:47 December 7, 2011 by bourgeoisieboheme
Police must identify themselves before they arrest. Fact.

"You cant arresst the family for protecting their own." Yes you can, it's called aiding a criminal. Fact.
14:55 December 7, 2011 by Svensksmith
Sounds like solid policework to me.
15:19 December 7, 2011 by Migga
Apperently they were polish gypsies.
16:04 December 7, 2011 by pjtaipale
"You cant arresst the family for protecting their own."

You can. And you should.
16:21 December 7, 2011 by Tanskalainen
Unprofessional police work. They got their man but should made the bust away from the maternity ward. This scenario could have gone tragic, thank God it did not.
16:42 December 7, 2011 by Svenny Brogarth
Im saying you cant arresst the family based on two blokes in plain clothes wrestling a family member. There is a huge case for mistaken identity. Attending the birth of a granchild or niece nephew etc you do not expect undercover police officers to arresst the father. Im not standing up for the father but im trying to say that if his extended family had no idea about his criminal past they would not have initially thought or believed people in plain clothes were police officers.
18:32 December 7, 2011 by swenrika
I just hope they charge all of them. Things can be sorted out much more calmly and family members should know better that to interfere with Police business, unless, they are involved somehow. Just shows the level of respect towards the authorities they don't have.
23:38 December 7, 2011 by GLO
Good work. Got the bad guy, and where is he from. Sweden should Picture all criminals and post for the public.
13:11 December 8, 2011 by big5
Amazing how violent Swedish people have become over the past 15-20 years.
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